Jaguars send WR Christian Kirk to Texans after initially planning to cut him

The Jacksonville Jaguars are sending wide receiver Christian Kirk to the Houston Texans, per multiple reports.

The Jaguars had originally planned on releasing Kirk, but will now get a draft pick in return. Houston is reportedly sending Jacksonville a 2026 seventh-round pick, which originally belonged to the Los Angeles Rams.

Kirk, who has spent the past three seasons in Jacksonville, missed most of the 2024 season with a broken collarbone sustained in October. Prior to his injury, Kirk was the subject of trade rumors, which ended after he was ruled out for the rest of the season.

Kirk had 27 receptions for 379 yards and a touchdown across the eight games he played before getting hurt.

Kirk signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Jaguars as a free agent after four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. In his first year with Jacksonville, Kirk started all 17 games and finished with 1,108 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 84 catches. However, injuries the past two seasons limited his output for the team.

The 28-year-old receiver is set to earn $16.5 million next season, the last year of the deal. Houston is set to take on the rest of that contract.

With a new head coach and a new general manager, the Jaguars are very much in rebuilding mode. Jacksonville holds the No. 5 overall pick and will spend the offseason trying to build a team around quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who fully plans to stay with the team long term. Trading Kirk is likely just the start.